How To Fix PS5 Crashing and Freezing [Quick & Easy Methods]

The PlayStation 5 has taken the gaming world by storm, providing the immersive power of next-gen gaming. However, even the most impressive technology can stumble and crash occasionally, leaving you frustrated and disconnected from your digital adventures.

If you’re facing irregular freezes, sudden shutdowns, or persistent error messages on your ps5, don’t worry!

In this article, I’ll explain the common causes behind PS5 crashes and provide practical solutions to bring stability and ensure a seamless gaming experience.

Let’s begin!

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Why Does Your PS5 Keep Crashing?

A few reasons can contribute to the freezing or crashing issues with your PS5. Your console may be overheating, which can cause games to crash or even freeze up entirely. Additionally, issues with the HDMI device link or the AC power cord can also lead to performance problems.

As a PS5 user, it can be frustrating to experience a frozen console or to have your games suddenly crash. To avoid further issues, it’s important to check your console to see if any of these issues might be the culprit.

For example, make sure your AC power cord and the HDMI are plugged in properly, and consider using a cooling system to keep your PS5 temperature at an optimal level.

Additionally, some games like Hogwarts Legacy and Fortnite have been known to cause crashes, so check to see if any of the games you’re playing are known to have issues.

How to Fix Sony PS5 Crashing While Gaming

You can easily fix the Sony PlayStation 5 crashing problem using methods such as rebuilding the PS5 database, turning off Rest mode, factory resetting the device, and placing the console in an open & cooler area. Clean the PS5 frequently; so it doesn’t build up dust and cause overheating.

Follow the instructions below to understand what you need to do when the PS5 suddenly crashes.

Here are the ways to fix ps5 crashing while playing games:

1. Rebuild the PS5 Database

Many game developers and Sony themselves suggest rebuilding the database if you encounter a sudden crush while playing a game on PS5. This function essentially checks for any unwanted errors or corruptions in the game files and rectifies them.

Don’t worry, this won’t affect any of your saved data.

Along with the crash issue, rebuilding the PS database can solve PS5 stuck black screen and other data-related issues, such as when the console data stops syncing.

Here’s the process to rebuild the database on your PlayStation console:

Turn off your PS5.
Boot into Safe Mode by holding the Power button down until you hear a sound cue.
Connect the controller using the USB cable and press the PS button on the controller.
Select the Rebuild Database option, and choose OK.

The process takes a few minutes to complete and could potentially fix your game crashing issue.

2. Restart Your PS5

When you notice your PS5 games keep crashing or freezing, it’s a good idea to close all the games & apps and restart the PS5 console first.

Here are the steps for restarting the PlayStation console:

Turn off the console by holding the power button down until you hear two beeps.
Disconnect your PS5 from the power outlet.
Reconnect the power cord after 1 minute, and turn it on.

If the PS5 still keeps on freezing or crashing, no problem. Move on to the subsequent more advanced workarounds.

3. Upgrade the System Software

In the initial months of release, games were crashing on PS5 frequently because there were glitches in the PS5 system software.

Sony took it into account and released hotfixes and firmware updates to fix this issue.

As I mentioned earlier, the PS5 automatically updates its system software and all apps when connected to the internet. But assuming you don’t always play online or turn off auto-update, you must update the firmware manually.

Here’s the process to download and install the latest PS5 firmware:

Go to the PS5 Settings menu.
Click on System.
Choose System Software > System Software Update & Settings.
Select Update System software and choose Update Using Internet, if you connect your PS5 to the Internet or select Update From USB Drive using the latest software downloaded in a USB flash drive.
Click on Update.

The PS will update the system software, rebuild the database, and restart. And hopefully, this will solve your issue.

4. Reinstall or Update Your Game

Another thing you can do is check by playing multiple games whether your PS5 freezing or crashing is persistent in all games. If other games are playing fine, the problem is only for that particular game.

In that case, chances are the developers already know about it and released/will release a patch to fix it. You just have to update the game.

Here’s the process to update a game on PS5:

Visit your library.
Select the game you want to update and press the Options button.
Select Check for Update.
Download if there is any update.

One thing to remember, PS5 automatically updates a game/app to the newest version. But in case your auto-update is turned off in the settings, update the game manually.

5. Remove & Reinstall the Game

if there’s no update available, simply delete and reinstall the game that’s causing your console to crash.

Here’s how to reinstall a game on PlayStation 5:

Go to your console Settings.
Select Storage and then Games and Apps.
Select the game you want to delete and hit the Delete button.
Go back to the PS5 Home screen.
Visit the Game Library and move to the Your Collection tab.
Find the game you’ve just deleted and redownload & install it.

In case PS5 is still crashing or getting stuck when playing the game, you can report to the game developers to fix the issue or wait for a new patch release.

6. Reduce the Graphics Preset in Games

By lowering the graphics quality, you can reduce the strain on your console’s hardware, ensuring a smoother and more stable gaming experience. The solution lies within the game itself—just navigate to the Settings menu, and lower all the graphics-related options.

Although optimizing your graphics settings will reduce the game quality, you’ll have a seamless gaming experience and will stop the PS5 from crashing again.

7. Provide Sufficient Ventilation to Stop Overheating

Any device with a silicon chip, e.g., a PC, console, or smartphone, will get hot under intensive load. And they tend to crash or turn off immediately when they overheat and exceed the optimum temperature.

So, you need to constantly check whether excess heat is crashing the console.

Reasons for PS5 Overheating

Rendering graphics-intensive games, i.e., AAA games, for a more extended period.
Poor airflow around the console area.
Dust buildup in the air vents or on the cooler.

Indication of the PS5 Overheating

The console body gets hot to the touch. You will feel hot air coming out of the air vents.
The Cooler constantly runs, making a louder noise.
You would feel stutter or frame drops in the game.
White or black dots might appear on the screen.

Here’s what to do:

Place the console in an open, clean, and cooler
Place it in a way that it sits at least 5 inches (12.7 cm) away from the wall surface.
Clean the vents regularly to prevent any dust buildup. If the fan is making unusually loud sounds, open it up and clean it from the inside. In case you are not sure about how to do that, take it to the servicing center.

If you see signs of PS5 overheating, follow the above methods to bring down the temperature. And hopefully, you can enjoy the games without any crashing or freezing.

8. Disable Rest Mode

If you used PS4, you might already be familiar with Rest Mode. It’s the power-saving mode that enables you to download or install a game while consuming minimal power from the outlet. The console will automatically go into Rest mode when you are not using it actively.

However, let’s say your game is paused, or you are just sitting idle on the Home screen, and the crashing/random shutdown occurs. It is probably because of the aggressive Rest mode.

Also, I’ve got crashing issues when waking up the console from the Rest mode.

That’s why if your PS5 keeps crashing or freezes constantly or randomly turns off by itself, stop the console from going into the Rest mode.

Here’s how to disable the Rest mode in PS5:

Go to your PS5’s Settings menu (top right corner of the Home screen).
Select System.
Choose Power Saving.
Click on Set Time Until PS5 Enters Rest Mode.
Select Don’t Put in Rest Mode from the drop-down menu for both the During Media Playback & While Playing Games.
Return to the Home screen and restart your console.

Disabling the Rest mode should fix the problem if you encounter the issue in idle mode and while playing games.

9. Reset PS5 to Default Settings

Resetting the PS5 will essentially do a clean installation of the PS5 system, often fixing unwanted and temporary issues. But as it is a lengthy and comparatively tricky procedure, it is always done after every other workaround fails.

But, no biggie, I am here to guide you step-by-step through the whole process of resetting your PlayStation 5.

Here is how to back up all your data from PS5:

Go to the Settings menu.
Navigate to System > System Software > Back Up and Restore > Back Up Your PS5.
Select your drive and back up the data.

10. Factory Reset the Console

Factory resetting the console will delete all your games and game data. Make sure your game data is uploaded to the PS cloud, or manually back up all the data on an external hard drive.

Here are the steps to factory reset the PS5:

Press & hold the Power button until you hear two beeps.
Press the PS button on the controller to enter Safe Mode.
Select the Reset PS5 option, and choose Yes.
Follow the on-screen instructions to get your console running back again.

Completely resetting the console should fix the crashing/freezing or any other issue you have.

You can even factory reset the PS5 without a controller using a mouse & keyboard or via PS Remote Play.

11. Contact PlayStation Support

If none of the above techniques worked, then, unfortunately, it is a hardware issue. You have nothing to do but contact PlayStation Support.

Tell them the issue you are facing; they will fix it for you or replace it altogether.

FAQs

Why does my PS5 shut down randomly?

Your PS5 randomly shuts down because it isn’t receiving enough power. Check the power cable and make sure it is plugged in correctly to the console and the wall outlet.

Why does 2K23 keep crashing on PS5?

NBA 2K23 keeps crashing on PS5 due to the game putting too much pressure on the console hardware or the game having compatibility issues on the PlayStation. Additionally, bugs or problems in the game can cause the issue. So, make sure the game is updated and delete the PS5 cache. If 2K23 still crashes, remove and reinstall the game.

How to fix the PS5 Rest mode crashing?

The PS5 keeps crashing in the Rest mode because of bugs. Disabling the Rest mode will get you out of it. Go to Settings > System > Power Saving > Set Time Until PS5 Enters Rest Mode. Select Don’t Put in Rest Mode for both the During Media Playback & While Playing Games settings.

Why is God of War Ragnarok crashing my PS5?

God of War: Ragnarok crashing on your PS5 can be attributed to corrupted game files, defective game discs, outdated console firmware, hardware & software problems, and connectivity problems.